Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980

The last thing Kiryu Kazuma expected was to run into that guy—"Amo"—again so soon.

He hadn't even planned on coming to this part of town today. The reason he was here was because the iinchō had mentioned there was a secondhand bookstore here with a wide selection—perfect for picking up affordable prep materials.

So, after finishing today's national mock exam, Kazuma had met up with the iinchō, picked up his sister Chiyoko, and headed this way.

Naturally, Nanjo-san had joined them after school at Etsukawa Girls'. Though she'd usually go straight home in her family's Lincoln after seeing Kazuma, the moment she spotted the iinchō, her competitive spirit flared—no way was she going to miss this outing.

Thus, a rare world without Mikako was formed.

Even Kazuma himself felt like writing the character for tragic on Mikako's leg the next time he saw her.

As they passed by the park, they stumbled across a scene unfolding there.

At first, Kazuma didn't even notice Ikeda Shigeru. In fact, he didn't recognize him at all on first glance.

After all, the last time he'd seen Ikeda, the guy had blond hair styled into a flashy pompadour.

Now, spotting a bald head and instantly identifying it as Ikeda Shigeru wasn't exactly easy.

Kazuma had no intention of getting involved in a delinquent brawl. His opinion of these types was basically zero now. If not for the fact that the blade he'd used last time had been a sword meant not to kill, he probably would've already sent a few of them to the afterlife.

But then—he spotted a particularly striking status tag.

Turning Over a New Leaf—half of it gleaming gold, the other half pitch black. The black side was beginning to ripple with indescribable distortions, the text itself twitching as if ready to warp into something else entirely.

Kazuma, being fairly experienced with these things by now, immediately understood: once this tag turned fully black, it would likely transform into something sinister—probably spawning a future supervillain.

The Joker kind of level.

...Wait a second, Kazuma thought. If I'm supposed to be a righteous hero, doesn't that mean I should have a Joker-like foil to play off of?

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Whether it was a Joker, Two-Face, or any other fallen hero archetype, seeing a good person forced down that path was something he wanted no part of.

Besides—

—I was someone pulled back from the brink of hell myself. If I stood by and watched someone else fall... how could I ever face Detective Shiratori at the MPD five years from now?

A refreshing clarity filled his chest. In that moment, he felt he possessed the courage to face down any darkness in the world.

His mind raced, searching for a way to reverse the corruption of that tag—something to pull Ikeda back to this side.

Then he noticed the tag's tooltip:

"How many fallen youths have perished, unnoticed, on the sands of indifference."

An idea clicked. Right then, one of the thugs sneered loudly:

"Who would believe scum like you could really turn over a new leaf?"

—That's it.

Kazuma took a step forward and declared firmly, voice ringing out:

"I believe."

Every delinquent in the park turned toward him.

Nanjo instinctively stepped back.

But Chiyoko and the iinchō stood calmly behind Kazuma, unfazed.

Even the "fallen youth" being beaten raised his head.

It was only then that Kazuma recognized him—Ikeda Shigeru.

No way, Kazuma thought, after just one lecture from me, he really started trying to turn his life around?

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Kazuma spoke again:

"I believe he truly wants to change and become a better person."

In that instant, Kazuma saw the dark side of Ikeda's tag vanish in a burst of light.

Then Ikeda, completely disregarding appearances, broke down in tears.

One of the thugs jeered:

"He's crying! Hahaha—Amo from Meisei's bawling!"

The rest of them immediately abandoned Kazuma's group and turned to mock Ikeda, laughing uproariously.

But Ikeda paid them no mind, quietly sobbing.

Above his head, the tag now read Redeeming the Fallen, glowing brilliantly in pure gold.

Kazuma didn't even need to check the tooltip—he was sure it would be another string of poetic nonsense anyway.

He raised his voice:

"Once you've cried enough, stand up and show me your guts. I'm not about to take on a crybaby as a disciple."

Ikeda immediately wiped his tears—his face a complete mess of tears, mud, and blood.

Yet even so, Kazuma could see determination in his eyes.

With a roar, Ikeda struggled to his feet.

The thugs holding him down quickly tried to push back—

—but Ikeda let out an explosive shout and swung his right arm, flinging one of them aside entirely.

A tall thug, seemingly the leader, yelled:

"You dare fight back?! The cops will haul you in with us!"

Kazuma called out:

"Amo! I'll testify it was justified self-defense! I've got a bit of pull down at the station—you know that!"

With another furious roar, Ikeda slammed his freed right fist into the thug gripping his left arm—breaking the guy's nose in a spray of blood and snot. The second punch knocked out teeth, blood and white enamel flying. The third punch sent the thug sprawling.

Then, battered and bruised, Ikeda stood tall.

A boy, unyielding, grounded on solid earth.

But the large thug with the baseball bat charged, swinging hard at Ikeda's head.

By now, Ikeda's thoughts were likely dulled—he was running purely on willpower.

He didn't dodge. He probably couldn't.

Just standing had already taken everything he had.

Yet even after taking that brutal blow, he didn't fall.

Staring fiercely at his attacker, he took a step forward.

In Kazuma's eyes, the sight alone was enough to apply a fear debuff to all the surrounding thugs.

But the bat-wielding thug roared again, shaking off the fear.

He swung the bat in a wide arc, striking Ikeda's head once more.

This time, the boy who had seemed indestructible began to waver—he'd clearly reached his limit.

Kazuma realized that if this kept up, Ikeda could very well be beaten to death.

All his efforts to save him would be for nothing.

"Enough, Amo! You've proven your guts. Leave the rest to me."

At that moment, Ikeda smiled.

And with that smile, he collapsed face-first onto the ground, unmoving.

The bat-wielding thug burst into laughter, arms raised high.

"I win!"

The still-shaken thugs glanced around, then finally began to cheer.

Shouts of "Kitakatsushi's strongest!" and "Conquer Kanto!" rang out—phrases Kazuma found irritatingly familiar.

The bat-wielding thug gestured for silence, then turned to Kazuma.

"And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Before Kazuma could reply, one of the thug's lackeys shouted:

"Boss! Look behind him—he's got three total babes with him!"

Kazuma clicked his tongue.

He glanced at the one who'd spoken.

Kid… you've just narrowed your future options.

(End of Chapter)